


complicated to touch

by muselives



Category: Alphas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-07
Updated: 2011-08-07
Packaged: 2018-01-13 02:57:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1210150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muselives/pseuds/muselives
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cameron convinces Rachel to explore the possibilities of an enhanced sense of touch. [Porn Battle XII, Alphas, Cameron Hicks/Rachel Pirzad, balance, senses]</p>
            </blockquote>





	complicated to touch

**Author's Note:**

> First time for _Alphas_! God, I know I'm straining the characterization but I liked to think that after "Anger Management" Rachel could be a little more assertive, especially if Cameron showed an interest. Posted for Porn Battle [here](http://oxoniensis.dreamwidth.org/40106.html?thread=6649514#cmt6649514). Spoilers through the movie. Beta courtesy of [](http://sunblessed.livejournal.com/profile)[**sunblessed**](http://sunblessed.livejournal.com/) and [](http://endarspire.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://endarspire.livejournal.com/)**endarspire**.

He asks her once, "What happens? You know, when you do... what you do." 

She hesitates, surprised by the inquiry, and struggles for the right words. "Well, seeing and hearing, those aren't too hard to understand. It's like having a microscope or turning up the volume. Smell, everything is sharper, clearer. I can distinguish the different parts and match up most scents with their source. Taste is pretty similar, I don't use that one as much."

"And touch?"

The question is an innocent prompt. It still makes her flush. "No, I don't..." She trails off, looks away. After a moment, she looks back. "Touch is more complicated. Here."

He looks at her outstretched hand, offers his own. She turns hers over and lays her palm across his.

"Touch is temperature, pressure." Her hand gently pushes down on his, only making his give slightly before he instinctively pushes back. "And pain."

For a moment, he looks concerned, "Pain?"

"Nociception. The body's thresholds are passed and the triggers force us to react to noxious stimuli." She smiles and withdraws her hand.

His gaze stays with her as she pulls away. "Is all or nothing? I mean, is it just on or off?"

"No," she answers hesitantly. "It's like a dial but... I'm not very good at tuning it. And the more I slip into one, the quicker the others go."

"Still." He flexes his hand slightly, discretely. "Pretty amazing."

The compliment brings the color back to her cheeks. She murmurs her thanks and he says something in answer and then there's Bill, saying something important. Rachel lets her gaze go unfocused and listens closely, too closely to hold onto the words. The deep timbre of familiar voices, the rustling of clothing, the quick beat of her own heart and the steady beat of Bill's. There. His heartbeat, Cameron's, also steady. Should she really be surprised?

"Rachel." Bill's voice.

 _Not so loud._ She snaps out of it without speaking. It's important to be polite, she has no right to be rude. "Hm?"

He looks her over. "You okay?" So like Bill to be concerned.

She nods, gives them both a smile. "I'm okay," she insists as she walks between them towards the conference room.

*

  
"It's here," Gary keeps saying, "I know it's here." Nina's trying to calm him and Bill is pacing, staring at the wall, probably trying to guess if he can knock it down. Cameron is standing quietly next to Rachel, watching her eyes move. He knows she's slipped away from the arguments, that she's searching the wall. There has to be a way out.

She steps forward eventually, prompting Nina to say her name, but she's not listening. They all watch in silence as she places her palms lightly against the brick and begins to run them along the wall.

Distantly behind them, the footsteps and the raised voices begin to rumble.

"OK, we don't have time--" Bill starts, moving towards her with his hand out.

" _Don't._ " Cameron's voice is there instantly, sharp, in command. "Don't touch her."

Gary is the only one unphased by this sudden fit of protectiveness. Bill and Nina both give him looks of differing kinds of concern. "They're getting louder," Gary remarks, pushing the air with his hands. "The people, not the machines."

Bill glares at him impatiently. "Hicks, we've got to go."

He's bought her all the time he can. He moves close to her, stepping where she's stepped instead of moving to block her. He wastes another moment notice her eyes are closed. Her whole concentration is in her hands. Carefully, he leans closer to her, his mouth just beginning to open to say her name.

She shivers before he can do anything more than breathe and for a moment, he almost thinks he hears her moan. Her eyes snap open, her whole body turning as she faces him, palms still on the wall. He can see her pupils dilate, adjust, return to normal as her sense balance. "It's here," she says, turning away from him, not realizing she's still flushed. "Bill," she turns even more, leaving one hand on an invisible seam on the wall. "The door is here."

"You got it?" Nina asks.

"I've got it," Bill replies, waving the two of them out of the way.

She doesn't say anything when his hand wraps around her arm. He doesn't even notice that she shifts into him even before he starts leading her, lingering close as they step clear of possible harm.

It takes Bill one solid push to hold open the concealed door and everyone scrambles into the next room.

As usual, Bill is a little short of breath as the adrenaline fades. "Good job." The words are for Rachel but he glances at Cameron before turning to move on.

"Thanks." She smiles, momentarily confused, before her gaze bounces between her teammates, trying to figure out what might be wrong.

Cameron keeps his eyes down but touches her elbow. "Come on," he says gently, leading her along.

*

  
He leans on the frame of her office doorway and watches her analyzing a paper clip late one night. She looks up eventually and sets the tweezers down, placing the evidence on top of its plastic bag. "Cameron."

"Those thresholds, the ones you told me about," he trails off for a moment then asks, "They're not the reason that you don't do the touch thing, right?"

She tries not to get flustered. "It's not very useful."

"Maybe not on the job."

Now her cheeks are red. "Did you need something Cameron?"

He shouldn't be looking her over. Those amazing eyes of hers, she's sure to notice this time.

"I have to get back to work." A little more assertive then usual. Dr. Rosen would be proud.

"Okay." He straightens up and just stands. "I'm going to be here a little longer. Let me know when you're going, I can give you a ride home."

"I'm staying with Nina."

He holds her gaze. "Yeah, I know."

The color in her cheeks is hardly fading. She's leaving her hands on the desk, trying not to move. Eventually she gives in and tucks back a lose strand of hair with a gloved hand, lowering her eyes. "Um, I'll let you know."

"Alright." He lingers another moment then heads back to his office. He has nothing to do so he lays down on the couch and closes his eyes. He's not sleeping, he's not even dozing really. For once, he wishes he could dial up his ears the way she does so he'd know what she was doing, if she was still working, when she'll be done.

Maybe it works a little because he notices her footsteps after however long it takes her. He's sitting up and ready when she appears, already wearing her coat. "I'm finished," she says, trying to keep it simple, not give away too much.

"Great." He stands up, grabs his coat. He smiles and then she smiles, a little reluctantly but still. Their steps synch together as they walk to the garage.

*

  
They don't make it to Nina's apartment.

There's no conversation, no radio in the car. Not that the silence is awkward but it certainly is charged. Traffic down to one lane and a construction worker holding the sign that forbids them from moving creates the opportunity. He keeps looking at her and maybe she's looking at him and their eyes just aren't connecting until now. And then he's moving and she's moving and they catch each other just over the arm, their mouths colliding in a hungry kiss.

Only to be interrupted by someone laying on the horn.

The road ahead of them is clear and Cameron hits the gas just a little too hard and they go whizzing down the street. He can see Rachel touching her lips out of the corner of his eye. That's it. He turns left instead of right, changing his route to head back to his home.

At first, he's worried that he's being presumptuous, but once he parks and gets out, she rushes to meet him on his side of the car. It's another tangle of arms and lips as she pulls him down into another kiss. Very assertive, he notes as he pushes her back up against the car; but he doesn't want to think of Dr. Rosen right now. He doesn't know what he's thinking, what's come over him, but it doesn't slow him down.

She does jump a little when his hand sneaks under her shirt and brushes her side. "Can we--?" she asks breathlessly.

"Yeah. Sure." He takes her hand in his and leads her across the pavement to the apartment complex. She moves to stand just behind him as he fishes out his key and fumbles with the lock. _Smooth_ , that ever present hypercritical part of his brain remarks as he finally gets the door open. He takes a deep breath and shuts it down, getting his apartment door right on the first try. He can't quite fight the smile that comes from winning that personal battle although Rachel is too distracted by other things to notice.

She kind of has him by the jacket and she's pulling him to the couch although he certainly doesn't mind. His attention is on her mouth and how to best keep kissing her as she walks. Height difference isn't really a problem if he knows how to hold himself, keeps his center of balance. The only reason he takes a tumble is because instead of going around and sitting like normal people, he grabs her and pulls her with him as he goes over the couch's arm. The noise of surprise she makes keeps the smile stuck on his face.

"Oh," she's flushed but smiling, her tone almost laughing, "I don't know what I'm doing, I'm usually not like this..."

"We don't have to do anything." Like this whole thing isn't already a giant assumption that at a minimum some of these clothes have to come off. But he brushes her hair back and insists while still smiling, "Really, Rachel. I know it's kind of sudden."

"So why'd you bring me here?" Her hands are on his chest. She's settled, balanced, and she looks down at him, not turned off but maybe not so rushed anymore.

"Didn't want to think about driving anymore. Why didn't you stop me?"

Her cheeks color but she still has a cheerful smile. "I was listening to your heartbeat. I couldn't believe it was going as fast as mine."

And like that, he pushes himself up, his mouth catching hers again. Her arms wrap around his shoulders and just like that, whatever doubts he has left are gone.

*

  
"Rachel?"

She tries to answer without any success. All she hears is his breathing which is still just a little louder than hers.

He waits another moment before rolling on his side, his hands moving to her touch her side, face searching hers with concern. "Rachel, are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm amazing." Her face is flushes as soon as she speaks but the answer is earnest, delighted. She lifts her arms for a moment to try and hide her smile but a few well placed kisses later and her arms shift to wrap around his shoulders.

"Good," he chuckles before leaning closer to capture her mouth for a slow, lingering kiss.

She makes a slightly distressed noise when he breaks away. "Is it time to go?"

He glances at the clock and shakes his head. "We've got awhile but we should probably, you know, sleep."

"Hm. Probably." After a moment, still smiling, she adds, "I'm not tired though."

"Well maybe," his gaze drops to her lips and he smirks, "I can help with that."

Her breath hitches slightly. "Okay."

"You trust me?"

She looks up at him, eyes wide, caught by surprise. "Of course."

"Close your eyes." She does so and smiles when she feels him press a kiss to her cheek. Then his mouth is by her ear and she starts to shift only to freeze when he whispers, "Turn up your sense of touch."

"Cameron..."

"Just a little. I'll be careful, I swear."

She tries to calm her breathing but the proposal alone has her heart pounding. There's a little bit of hesitation, not really fear, before she whispers, "Okay."

At first all she notices are that these sheets are a very low thread count. She tries not to shift because the cotton is scratchy and uncomfortable. Not very sexy and definitely discouraging. That is until Cameron starts to talk.

She only knows he's talking because his breath comes unevenly, sometimes in stronger puffs, sometime broken up by little stops. Hearing what he's saying isn't of any interest to her though, not when he starts moving his mouth along her body. He's whispering secrets to her skin and suddenly the threadcount is the last thing on her mind. Even the uncomfortable sensations along her back can't stop her body from shifting instinctively under his mouth, arching up towards him, although he's as careful as he promised, not touching her, not even a graze.

It's already difficult laying still as he zigzags his way lazily down her torso but the lower he goes, the louder she whimpers although she still can't hear a sound. Probably for the best; she already entertained the thought that his neighbors would hate her for their earlier carousing. Now it seems pretty much guaranteed.

Her fingers are twisting in the sheets and though they feel like sandpaper against her sensitive skin, all her focus is on the feeling of his mouth as he traces lines of breath over her thighs. He doesn't stop, doesn't slow down, and still doesn't touch her even as her hips begin to roll slightly and she begins to beg.

Eventually his best laid plans are thwarted by her own inability to play by the rules. Her hands jump to his chest and she gasps loudly at the heat of his skin, the way she can feel perfectly, acutely the curve of his musculature, and the slight friction of hair between skin as she drags down her palms. His perfect balance is thrown and he brushes against her, enough to make her shout with equal parts shock and arousal.

This experiment has turned her enough and she quickly dials it back down to normal levels, hearing him speaking for the first time, compliments and secrets and things she probably shouldn't know. She shuts him up with a passionate, hungry kiss and he drives into her hard, all previous restraint gone.

When she's lying beside him, spent again, she doesn't wait for him to ask if she's alright, just conserves her energy enough to roll towards him afterwards, settling against his side. The feel of his arm around her back is soothing, clearing away whatever lingers from the sheets.

He watches her, smiling. "Tired now?"

"Set two alarms," she teases. "Just in case."

He chuckles and presses a kiss to the top of her head. "You've got it."

She finally lets sleep drift over her. She'll tell him about the sheets tomorrow.


End file.
